Cradle
by Shangri-La
Summary: Ken wakes up and nothing is right his instincts tell him that Ayachan and Farfarello should not be dating, that Schuldig shouldn't be his friend, and that his bloodfilled dreams are right, while what feels like reality is not. Can he find the truth?
1. Andy calls this chapter trippy

Don't own Weiss Kruez or the song 'Something more' by the Cure. DISCLAIMED!

I guess it should start now.

* * *

He clutched at a particularly deep wound in his side, trying to slow the outpouring of blood. Sitting there in a puddle of his own life fluid, nearly black in the dark, he shifted his shoulders slightly, tossed his head to rid his glazed blue eyes of the stringy, orange hair hanging in front of them, and rasped, "If you could have anything you ever desired, what would it be?"

The other man considered the question slowly, warily, breathing heavily, dark eyes narrowed. His brown hair was damp with sweat, clinging to his flushed cheeks and forehead, and he couldn't help but feel almost disgusted as he looked down on the dying assassin hunched over at his feet. "Sometimes...I want to start over."

"Ah."

Everything exploded.

Ken felt panicked before he even opened his eyes, although he could not think of any real reason to fear save that his eyes seemed soldered shut, blood pounding in his ears to the rhythm of his heartbeat, breathing no longer an easy task. A far away voice echoed in the background, like he was underwater, listening to someone above the surface speaking.

"For a second of your life... Tell me if it's true...waiting for a sign is all I want of you. Your heart hides a secret, a promise of what is, something more than this..."

He suddenly found his previously paralyzed body capable of movement and dug his hands into the soft ground beneath him, thrashing for a few moments and gulping down air in panic before suddenly finding himself flipped over onto his back, staring at the ceiling, breathing heavily now that the pillow was no longer pressed to his face. The voice from before was no longer blurry, but clear - along with the music.

"Just a second of your time, any one will do... A taste of any other is all I want from you. Offer me the world, and how can I resist...something more than this?"

A giant sigh of relief. He was in bed. Listening to music. He must've drifted off. Only, it was strange... Panic seized him again. Where was he exactly? What time of day was it? And how had he gotten there?

"Are you ok, Ken?" A light hand descended gently on his shoulder, the voice distinctly feminine - sleepy and soft.

He glanced suddenly to his right and felt his heart leap into his throat. The lights were on, but a little low, casting a golden glow on everything - the bed he lay on was made, but the covers were a little rumpled, and sitting beside him was...

Shoot, what was her name?

Aya-chan. That's right, Ran's little sister. He barely knew her - what was going on?

She yawned, covering her mouth with a dainty hand, and then flipped her dark braids over her shoulders, smiling. Her round face and dark eyes looked slightly older than he thought her to actually be, but maybe she was just worn out. "We must've fallen asleep while listening to the CD," she said, nodding towards the CD player sitting on the edge of the mattress. "It's been a long night."

"Um..." Ken couldn't really remember anything. His mind was pretty blank. It was strange though, not like amnesia. He recognized the room - he just didn't know who it belonged to. He knew the girl - he just couldn't remember her. His name, Ken Hidaka, where he lived...

That would come to him in time.

Aya hopped out of bed almost energetically, yawning again and then giving a shuddering little sneeze. She was wearing blue jeans and a plain black hoodie, a fading bruise on her left cheek, barely noticeable anymore. Quickly, she extended her hand to help him up, giving his arm a quick yank so that he practically leapt to his feet. "Come on, Ken, we better get back to the party."

"Party?" This was a complete surprise. Nevertheless, he didn't release her hand, allowing the girl to lead him out of the bedroom and down the stairs, where the noise level grew with each step. Music added to the din of all the loud, rowdy conversation, and as they stepped down onto the main floor, Ken saw that people were packed tightly in the room - faces he knew, but could not quite place...

"I can't wait to get all these people out of here so we can go to bed," Aya told him, raising her voice slightly to be heard over the noise.

Ken gulped down a lump that had formed in his throat. What had she meant by that?

She smiled innocently at him.

Ok, so he was completely lost. This was his life and he barely remembered it - was there something going on between him and Aya? And if so, did Ran want to kill him? This was very weird. So intense were all these thoughts and musings that Ken did not even realize where he was going until he ran smack into someone else's back. "Sorry!" he cried, and leapt back.

A young man, tall and lean and broad-shouldered with light auburn hair pulled back in a short ponytail turned to face him, blinking sky blue eyes in surprise. Then, he smiled, tilted his head to the side, and greeted softly, "Hey, Kenken. I haven't seen you in a while."

Ken stared at him quizzically. "Schuldig?" he asked, and for reasons he could not determine, recoiled in disgust. Something just seemed wrong about the other man. His smile was too kind, his hair should be a longer and darker, more orangey red, and his clothes were simply too casual - a pair of khaki cargo pants and a black T-shirt.

"Where did you and Aya-chan go off to?" inquired Schuldig, but it was in a friendly, curious sort of way - not the demanding, suspicious tone that Ken, for some reason, expected. That smile was still curling his lips, and his long face looked pale, almost sad. When Ken didn't reply, his smile faded and he murmured, "Ken, please don't make life harder for her than it already is. Don't walk off with her like that when everyone is watching."

But he couldn't hear the German's words. An aching paranoia was seeping through his skin, slowly pricking at his mind until the image of Schuldig wavered and faded from a realistic state into a molded, almost fake appearance. His skin was too pale and bright, eyes too shiny, hair glowing unnaturally. "You...don't look right..." Ken said shakily.

"Look right?" parroted Schuldig dumbly, and right before Ken's very eyes, a wound split open on his arm midway between his shoulder and elbow, gushing blood that fell in a steady stream to the ground and stained the carpet. He didn't seem to notice though, and, oblivious to the huge gash, leaned closer and squinted, scarlet fluid trickling from the corner of his mouth. "What do you mean? Are you ok, Ken? You're looking a little pale..."

He backed away, choking back the bile that rose into his throat. He wanted to vomit - why did no one notice that Schuldig was falling apart before their very eyes? Cuts and deep wounds were splitting open all over his arms and face, blood soaking through his shirt and pants. There was no pain in the German's expression, but the flesh was practically falling off his body in ribbons.

And then, suddenly, everything was normal again. Schuldig stood before him, clean and healed - not a trace of the previous injuries. His soft blue eyes were blinking rapidly in confusion, and Ken suddenly realized that he had stumbled back and was sitting on the floor, leaning onto his hands, staring up at the ring of concerned faces around him.

Aya appeared, reaching out a hand to help him up, and seemed as though she wanted to say something, but had only time to start the first word before being abruptly cut off by a gruff voice calling her name. Like an obedient dog she turned and ran to the speaker, who Ken instantly recognized, but, just as it was with everyone else, did not actually know. Though he felt he should.

And Jei Farfarello (that's who it was) looked wrong too. His hair was a soft auburn-brown, short and bristly, and his round face was all too tan. His skin...flawless. Standing about half a head higher than Aya-chan, he was wiry but strong, his jaw clenched in what seemed to be irritability. And he was dressed too nice! Black slacks and a gray turtle-neck - expensive shoes. He snarled something at Aya and they left the room to go out into the cold, the girl slinking behind him as if she were just a bit worried.

Ken shook off the help of everyone trying to get him back on his feet and sighed furiously. Somehow, he felt half of the people around him were his enemies, though he could not figure out why. WHAT WAS GOING ON!

Shortly, Aya and Jei came back in, both looking carefully blank, although Aya was rubbing her shoulder as if it pained her. Schuldig, who had reappeared at Ken's side, hummed sympathetically at the couple and then patted Ken on the shoulder. "If only her brother would do something," he said softly. "Of all the people I know, I always thought Aya-chan would be the last to get in an abusive relationship."

"Abusive?"

"Yeah... C'mon, Ken - you've seen first hand. But Ran... He's never around. Always too busy working."

Ken stared dumbly at the Irishman and the dark-haired girl beside him. She looked timid, but happy. And now that he thought about it, her older brother was nowhere in sight... But that didn't seem right. Ran was protective of his little sister, as far as Ken knew. Then again, according to his instincts, Schuldig was his enemy, not his friend, but the current situation disagreed with that as well.

"I don't know what's going on," Ken said blankly, his eyes unfocussing for a moment as he locked gazes with Jei, who had turned his head to glare at him, and watched the Irishman's visage melt away to be replaced with what looked to be a twisted replica of the man. His skin was deathly white, like paper, and covered in rough, jagged scars. His soft amber eyes had turned golden, an eye patch over one, and in his hand was a knife dripping with blood. The body of a teenage boy was curled up at his feet, shuddering.

Ken blinked and it was gone.

Schuldig was now standing in front of him, blocking his view of Jei. "Kenken, ever since you and Aya-chan went up to your room to listen to her new CD, you've been acting weird. Jei is suspicious enough already, and what with how you're acting, it's making it worse."

"So, I live here?"

"Yes, with Aya and Ran. They rent out a room to you."

"Um...how long has she been with Farfarello?"

"Farfarello? Oh, you mean Jei. About half a year. He didn't start getting abusive until recently. I think she's hoping it is just a stage." The redhead looked thoughtfully at Ken, frowning. "You seem really dazed. Is everything alright?"

"I feel really weird. I just woke up and nothing makes sense anymore. It's like...the facts are there, but I feel like I'm living someone else's life."

Schuldig smiled slightly, giving a light punch to his shoulder. "Hey, we all feel like that some days." A quick glance at his watch. "I have to get going - giving a lesson early tomorrow morning to some kid just starting out on the violin. Poor girl - she's progressing at snail's pace, but her parents are RICH. Well, see ya'."

Schuldig melted into the crowd.

He played the violin? Since when!

Ken went up to the bedroom that he had been told was his and curled up under the covers, still fully-clothed. As he closed his eyes, an image flashed before his eyes.

Himself, standing over a mound of dead bodies, bugnuks gleaming and dripping with blood, the claws stretching over his knuckles from heavy gloves. He stared with emotionless brown eyes at the destruction, and the scary thing was...

It felt right.

Review!


	2. Girls can be so dumb

Thanks for all the reviews! It was really encouraging.

Xaoseph: Thanks so much for all your ideas and helping me get started with this fic!

Apocalipticoblivion: Wow, all your questions give me many ideas. I loved your review, thanks so much for it. Keep on reviewing and I'll keep updating, deal? lol

Zeto: Glad you like it. I like reviews.

Secera Crystalfire: Thanks for your compliments! Keep on reviewing!

Mistress of Darkness1: Aww, so I'm not just writing this in vain... lol Thanks a bunch, review again.

Manx: Yeah, when I wondered what kind of instrument Schuldig could play, the violin kinda popped into my head. I'm happy you liked it after all, keep reviewing.

Misura: Hmm...we'll have to see what is real and what is not, won't we?

Redemption-Moon: Will do.

Oh, and I own NOTHING.

* * *

The redhead looked moodily over his shoulder and then fixed cold, amethyst eyes on the boy kneeling on the ground, passing his hands quickly over the unconscious man before him. "Hurry up, Bombay. We can't risk being here any longer."

"He's hurt though, Abyssian." The seventeen-year-old lifted swimming blue eyes to the older man, not trying to hide the obvious concern. "He's not waking up."

From a few feet away, a tall, lanky man with shoulder-length hair, clad in a long, dark trench coat, stood over the nearly dead German who was propped up against the wall, unconscious. "This one's about dead," he declared, the toe of his boot gently nudging the rival assassin's knee, finding him unresponsive. His hands went to work at pulling out his razor wire. "I'll finish him off."

A commotion from down the hall startled the trio. The redhead lifted the limp body of their fallen teammate over his shoulders and rose, calling out, "Balinese, there's no time! We can't fight like this! Go!"

They had disappeared within a matter of moments.

* * *

Ken shuffled down to the kitchen the next morning in his crumpled clothes from the night before, curious to see if things felt any more normal than before. For one thing, turning the corner and seeing Aya scrambling eggs in her school uniform while Farfarello sat at the table, eyeing her with an expression that bordered on predatory - that was NOT normal.

He sighed.

"Hiya, Ken," Aya greeted him, turning to face him with a smile. "Want some breakfast? I know you don't like eggs, but I have some extra if you want any."

He barely heard, too busy staring at Farfarello and seeing him with white hair instead of soft auburn, scarred skin instead of flawless, and golden eyes instead of amber. "What's Farfarello doing here so early?" he demanded.

"Jei always comes by in the morning to have breakfast and then drive me to school," she replied, blinking her eyes in surprise. "I mean, he does it like every morning. Wow, did you get drunk last night or what?"

"Huh? Oh...no."

Aya grinned and shook her head, scraping the fluffy, golden eggs onto a plate for Jei, setting it before him on the table and then playfully ruffling his hair, only to have him duck away and grunt in irritation. Her smile faded momentarily, but she quickly regained it and turned to look at Ken, saying almost sternly, "You better get to work on your manuscript today. Your editor keeps calling and wondering where the last hundred pages are. After all, your deadline is next week."

Ken shook his head quickly and it suddenly hit him. He was a writer. He wrote novels. Why did that seem so wrong? "Oh, yeah... I write books." It was all rushing in on him, his published works, how he was barely scraping enough money together to live semi-comfortably. It was a good thing he was trusted enough by Ran to be allowed to live with his sister (and occasionally, with Ran as well) so Ken could watch out for Aya when business called her brother away. "Don't worry, Aya, I'll get on it today."

But he didn't.

Instead, after she and Farfarello left, he walked to the nearest park and joined a group of guys a bit younger than him in a game of soccer. Now THAT felt right. Like he was meant to do it, like he had always played the game and loved it.

After it was all over, he was soaked in sweat and had not progressed the least in his 'writing'. Still baffled at his current position and his lack of understanding, he headed back to the apartment and looked at the clock. A few more hours until Aya-chan came home. Boredom.

He wondered where Ran was. In his head, the older man should be close by, but he wasn't...

"I wonder what I normally do all day," Ken sighed, opening up his wallet and sifting through the contents. "It seems to me there is somewhere I could go... Ah, what's this?" He pulled out a small business card and took a closer look. It was advertising a studio for music lessons. At the bottom, in smaller print, listed the teachers.

Schuldig was among them.

"He is a good violinist," Ken commented to himself, putting the card back and then walking off down the hall to take a shower.

* * *

Aya-chan and Farfarello arrived home while he was still finishing dressing. Standing before the mirror in his T-shirt and boxers, toweling off his hair, he heard the door slam and lifted his head, drawing in a sharp breath when a heavy crash followed soon after. What struck him strange immediately afterwards was how horrified his face was reflected in the looking glass, when he himself had not even realized he wore such an expression. Without thinking, he dashed out to the kitchen, to the front door of the house, and skidded to a stop, seeing that Farfarello was stooping to pick up a fallen chair while Aya-chan watched on with expressionless eyes.

"Hey, what's going on?" Ken asked, trying to sound casual but only having the nervous hitch in his voice destroy the tactic.

Aya turned to face him, surprised, and then replied, "Farfarello knocked over a chair."

Ken's instincts had told him it was something else, but maybe he was wrong...?

But then Schuldig would've been wrong too.

Farfarello was glaring at him with cruel amber eyes, and Aya was clearly on not feeling all too much like having him hang around, if her offish attitude was any indication, so he meekly turned and mumbled, "Ok, then I'm just gonna go...put on some pants..."

They watched him turn the corner, but did not realize that he stopped there. Pressing his back to the wall, Ken sucked in his breath and waited.

And it didn't take long.

Farfarello walked over to where Aya stood and slipped his arms around her waist, trying to pull her close only to have her resist. His lips brushed her cheek and she turned her head to glare in a different direction. "What?" he demanded, bristling angrily. "What's your problem now?"

"Maybe I'm still upset about earlier."

"Huh?"

"Jei! That made me really upset! I told you - I was CRYING for goodness' sake! How could you have forgotten? Do my feelings really mean so little to you!"

Farfarello looked as if he was making some sort of attempt to appear genuinely concerned, or so Ken thought. It wasn't all too convincing, but love must blind some people because Aya, after some hesitation, let her face soften as if she believed the act. "Listen," he told her quietly, brushing some stray strands of hair from her forehead, causing the tears that had been welling up in her eyes to escape and flood down her face. "I really am sorry. I know I've been on edge lately, I yell at you when you don't deserve it, and sometimes...I hurt you. You know I'm going through a rough time with my sister dying recently and leaving me with her son, but I'm going to get over this soon, I promise."

Ken rolled his eyes.

Aya nodded mutely and then broke away, turning her back on him and placing her hands on the counter, leaning heavily on them. She seemed incapable of speech.

"I'm going to go now," Farfarello told her, eyes boring into her back, and from what Ken could see, he was clearly holding back anger at her less than satisfactory response. "I'll pick you up tomorrow morning as usual, and don't forget, we have tickets for the concert tomorrow night as well."

She nodded again, not turning around until she heard the door slam. Then, she wiped at her eyes with her sleeves and ran to the stairs. Ken could hear her light footsteps falling on the steps and then in the hallway all the distance to her room.

After dinner that night, Ken helped Aya clear the table and, while she washed dishes, he dried. Somehow, he felt he should bring up how he felt Farfarello was all wrong for her, but he could not think of how to do so without sounding intrusive and bossy. So, instead, after accepting a plate from her, he slowly wiped it off with the slightly damp dish towel and commented, "So, your brother hasn't been home in a while, has he?"

"Two weeks," she replied with no real enthusiasm. "He's due back tomorrow, so he can see the concert."

"Concert?"

Instantly, she turned on him, wailing, "Keeeen! I can't believe you forgot! Schuldig is playing the violin at the concert, remember? It's a big deal! You're his best friend, how could you just forget?" She paused. "It's a good thing I'm keeping the tickets because you probably would've lost them."

"Uh huh." Ken managed a sheepish smile and scratched the back of his head, brown eyes clouding with momentary embarrassment.

Aya finished the last dish and then put it away, smiling. "Hey, I'm gonna go get into my pajamas and then we can watch a movie, ok? Wouldn't wanna break the nightly ritual." She dashed quickly to the stairs, rested her hand on the banister, and looked back at him curiously. "You gonna get ready for bed too?"

"Oh...um, not yet. I'll get the snacks."

"Kay!" She dashed up the stairs again, disappearing.

Ken turned his attention to throwing a bag of popcorn into the microwave and then scavenging the refrigerator for drinks. Obviously, someone needed to do some shopping - all he found was milk. Deciding to look elsewhere for food, he checked the pantry, tore apart the cabinets, and found, to his delight, a stash of chocolate bars. Happily, he gathered those up, collected the now ready popcorn to pour it into a bowl, and walked into the living room.

Aya bounced into the rooms moments later in over-sized, striped pajama pants and a matching button up shirt, the sleeves only allowing her fingertips to poke out. "You found Ran's chocolate!" she cried in delight at seeing his discovery. "He never tells anyone! I've been searching for months! Where was it?"

He considered telling her it was in the kitchen closet taped to the bottom of the lowest shelf, but decided against it. Instead, he grinned, shaking his head and remarking, "I guess you'll never know."

She groaned in disappointment, but quickly got over it. "What should we watch?" she wanted to know, moving to the box of DVDs by the TV. "Um, how about some anime?"

"Ok," he agreed easily, settling down on the couch and propping his feet up on the coffee table. "What do you have in mind."

"Fruits Basket."

Ken protested heartily.

"Ok, Voices of a Distant Star!" Without even waiting for an answer, Aya grabbed the DVD case, snapped it open, and stuck the disc into the DVD player. "I haven't even seen it yet," she commented happily. "I've heard it is really sad though."

Apprehensively, he glanced at her as she took her seat beside him, picking up a pillow and hugging it to her chest. "Um...this isn't one of those girly animes, is it?"

"...it could be. I don't know. Just watch it!"

"Hey, before we do, I gotta admit something..."

"Hmm?"

"I kinda...eavesdropped. Today. On you and Farfarello."

She didn't say anything.

"Does he...um...does he ever hit you?"

To his surprise, she merely shrugged and smiled, though her arms tightened around the pillow. "Um, he just...well - ok, he always has a reason. Like when me and you disappeared at the party last night... Everyone thought we were doing something, and it embarrassed Farfarello. If he had disappeared into his bedroom with some girl during a party, right there in front of everyone, I would've hit him too."

"But this is different. He's a guy - he shouldn't hit you at all. And besides, nothing happened between us."

"Oh, it was just a little hit to the shoulder. It's not like he punches me in the face or anything."

"Aren't you ever scared of him?"

Her smile faded, and she looked pensive. After a pause, she replied, "Everyone is scared of Jei."

Ken found that no words flew to his mind at that statement, and he sat silently beside her, lowering his gaze to stare at his socked feet. After some more silence, Aya began to speak again, and he looked up to meet her eyes.

"Yeah...Jei wasn't like that always... When his sister died, he kinda turned morbid and the pressure of raising her son got to him. I just...I'll hang in there. He's going to be ok, and someday he'll be back to normal. He would do the same for me."

Ken shook his head slightly.

"What? Ken, he's going to get better."

"How can you trust someone like him?"

"...I just...ok, I kinda wish I felt safer with him, but it's a difficult time and...just watch the movie." She directed the TV remote at the television and pressed her thumb upon the play button, but Ken did not miss the sadness that remained in her expression. He thought to himself that she really did want someone that she could trust, and she wasn't happy with Farfarello - if anything she was scared of him and living off some stale memories that held her back from moving on. However, he was able to discard these thoughts as it was obvious bringing them up would bring her pain and embarrassment.

She seemed thankful that he dropped the subject easily.

Ken made it through the short movie surprisingly well - considering the lack of action and the fact that only two characters were seen the entire time - a boy, as well as a girl who looked amazingly like the boy, except in a skirt. But Aya told him to ignore that and that it wasn't the point and there was a difference...just not a big one. However, the feel of the movie was pretty nice, for all the talking the couple did about each other, it wasn't too sappy, kinda sad, actually...

At the end of the movie, Aya was leaning sideways against Ken's shoulder with her legs curled beneath her, arms still holding the pillow tightly to herself. Her eyes were wide in disbelief. "Did she die?" she demanded, sounding slightly appalled. "It looks like she was dying!"

Ken thought for a moment and then unwrapped a new candy bar. "I don't know. The arms to her mecha robot were gone, and she looked kinda beat up. Maybe she was dying, but then again, that freaky vision of herself told her she'd see her boyfriend again, so maybe they save her. We may never know."

"Hey, that's your fifth candy bar!"

"Yeah?"

"Uh huh! All that hydrogenated oil is going tot kill you!"

"Whadda?"

"Keeeen!" She whacked him over the head with her pillow and then sighed in what appeared to be frustration. "You need to lay off the junk food. I mean it."

"Oh, so you're going to make me, huh?"

"As a matter of fact, yes."

He decided to ignore the comment, biting into the candy bar again. He had not taken into account how this would effect Aya, and before he could really say what was going on, he felt his grasp slipping on the chocolate as he was thrown to the side and slammed into the couch cushion, face first. His muffled scream resounded in his own ears.

Aya, who was leaning over him, hands gripping his shoulders, laughed lightly and exclaimed, "Promise to cut back on sugar!"

Pushing himself up with some effort, he flopped over onto his back and shook his head defiantly. "Why should I?"

"'Cuz it's not healthy!" She was still playfully holding him down, her head bowed over his, long hair falling like a curtain over his face, tickling the corner of his mouth. He could faintly smell the fragrance of the peach soap she used to wash her face each night - it made him slightly uncomfortable - but her lips were smiling and the top button of her shirt had come undone so he tried to keep his eyes focused on hers. Her voice went on sweetly. "And I want you to be healthy. So you stick around. If you died on me because of what you eat..."

He grinned nervously, realizing she was slowly letting her elbows bend, sinking down to lie over him, and as the playful mood faded, so did his smile. "What?"

They were too close.

"Well, I don't know what. I guess I'd be upset." Her breath was warm on his skin. Her round face was now serious, her hands resting lightly on his shoulders. She seemed to be at a loss for words, but she didn't move. Her body was an almost heavy pressure on his. "You really need to stop eating candy though..."

"Ok, I'll cut back," he heard himself promising.

She started to say something, but stopped without any kind of warning. Her dark eyelashes met her cheeks for a moment and then fluttered up again, looking almost upset. Her head turned, and he wondered what had provoked her to do this, so he looked as well.

Farfarello's car was pulling into the driveway.

Aya jumped up and quickly fixed the button that had come undone on her nightshirt, her hands flying to her hair immediately afterwards, fingers combing through it. Anxiously, she asked, "What is he doing here so late? Something must be wrong..."

Ken didn't have an answer.

She ran into the kitchen and he heard the door open, heard her greeting him, but did not hear any sounds of reply. Curious, he got up and walked in to see what was taking place.

Standing in the doorway was Farfarello. He had managed to somehow not make a sound, and his amber eyes were narrowed to mere slits that burned in malicious anger. His hand rested on the doorway, body stiff and rigid, lips pressed to a thin line.

"Jei, what are you doing?"

He threw a book on the table. "Came to return something I borrowed." He paused, as if collecting his anger. "It's easy to see into lighted windows. There's a big window that looks into your living room. Nothing's going on, huh, Aya?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but his hand rose and swiftly struck across her cheek, whipping her head to the side, the only sound being a stifled cry that was choked almost soundlessly in her throat and the smack of his knuckles colliding with her face.

Ken, shocked by what he had seen, stood rooted to his spot, incapable of moving and speaking. And then, he found his voice and exclaimed something that even he couldn't make out, though he had leapt forward to do something - maybe to hit Farfarello back, but Aya drew in between the two and stood there, tears brimming in her watery eyes, a bruise which was forming in the shape of three of Farfarello's long fingers darkening on her cheek. She said nothing, looked down, and then Farfarello was gone, whirling on his heel and slamming the door behind him.

"Aya!" Ken said, almost desperately, but she turned and ran up the stairs, ducking her head to hide her tears. He watched her retreating back, head bent with one hand lifted to hover over her red cheek, the other arm pumping furiously as she ran at full speed up the stairs, eager to get away, and then he stood alone, forlornly sighing and knowing that he could no longer call such treatment Aya's personal business.

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	3. Updated this on a VERY good day

This is a loooooong chapter!! Sorry, but I am so tired I can't thank everyone who reviewed, but I promise to next chapter!!  
  
~*~  
  
A dark-haired American stood over the almost lifeless assassin, still propped up against the wall like a broken doll where his would've-been murderers had left him. The American sighed and slid his glasses back up the bridge of his nose with an index finger, casting a glance to the boy on his left. "Prodigy, you're going to have to float him back to the car. He's a mess - try to put pressure on the wounds."  
  
The fifteen-year-old nodded, and with a deft flick of his wrist, the telekinetic energy flowed freely about the limp man, lifting him lifelessly into the air, where he hung like a puppet whose strings had been snipped. "Are we not following after Weiss, then?" he asked.  
  
The man shook his head. "We have to get him back to the house. His wounds need taken care of. Gather up the Berserker and we'll be on our way."  
  
With another nod, the teenager glanced over his shoulder at the said teammate, who was busying himself with crouching by the puddle of blood, running his index finger curiously through it. "Berserker, back to the car," he commanded coolly. "You heard Oracle."  
  
Not quite appreciating taking orders from a child, the man raised his head and turned glaring, golden eyes on the Japanese boy. His pale complexion nearly glowed in the darkness, scars wretchedly standing out just slightly darker than his skin. Blood was dribbling from short strands of his white hair, running down his forehead in veins of scarlet fluid.  
  
"Stop giving me that dirty look and forget the blood, Berserker. You can play with your own at home."  
  
~*~  
  
The next morning, Ken found a note from Aya on the kitchen table.  
  
Ken, you weren't up and I didn't have the heart to wake you. Jei and I went to pick up Ran from the airport. Be back later.  
  
He crumpled up the paper in his fist and choked on some angry words. She had gone out with Farfarello?! After last night?! How could one girl be so forgiving? So...stupid?  
  
Just as he was contemplating these matters, the door opened and a tall, lean man with broad shoulders stalked in, carrying a suitcase in each hand. It seemed to Ken that his red hair should be a deeper scarlet, and that his eyes, a faded lilac, should be brighter, more purple. He said nothing though, walked past Ken, and ventured into the living room.  
  
Aya come through next, smiling timidly at him and instinctively raising a hand to cover the bruise on her cheek before forcing it back down again. "Good morning," she said.  
  
Farfarello, who had come in only seconds after her, drew up beside his girlfriend and echoed, "Good morning," in a soft, taunting voice, eyes flashing at Ken as he pressed his lips in a light kiss to her cheek, directly over the swollen skin that had darkened in a somewhat distinguishable hand print.  
  
Ken could feel the rage raising until it reached his eyes and made everything blurry, red. His hands clenched into fists, and they trembled out his sides. "Get out," he seethed, eyes narrowing.  
  
Farfarello allowed Aya to push him away, her blush deepening, and looked at Ken in surprise. "You can't tell me to leave," he said bluntly. "It's not your house."  
  
"But it's mine," Aya said, edging away. "You should go. Please. I'll call you."  
  
Farfarello looked astonished. For a few moments, he seemed to not believe that he was being thrown out by the girl, but then, finally, it seemed to pass through his skull. A scowl twisted his lips and he nodded. "Fine. Call me," he snarled, turning away to open the kitchen door, slipping out with one last glance over his shoulder.  
  
Aya leaned back against the counter and smiled meekly. "Sorry," she apologized with a shrug. "I don't have a car and neither do you. Jei was the only one who could drive me to the airport to pick up my brother."  
  
It was then that Ken remembered Ran was in the house. He had breezed in so quietly and then disappeared, it was like he had never even returned. Nevertheless, he still was upset with her actions, though he wasn't sure how to convey this through words. "Aya, you're going to break up with him, aren't you?" he asked, exasperated.  
  
She nodded once. "I tried to do it on the way home."  
  
"...and?"  
  
"He told me I wasn't allowed."  
  
Ken grunted in frustration. "That's stupid. Wait...your brother was in the car. What'd he say about that?"  
  
"He was on his cell phone, business or something. He didn't hear. Anyhow, he loves Jei. Could die happy if I married him."  
  
"You're brother is only a few years older than you."  
  
"But he thinks he is decades older. Anyhow, when I call Jei later, I'll tell him it's over and I'm not joking. Don't worry, Ken." She patted him on the shoulder as she walked by, her smile fading. "I'm stupid, but not that stupid."  
  
Ran came into the room just as she was exiting, going to the refrigerator to root through its contents in an effort to find something edible. Ken watched as he bent to pull out an apple, examine it, put it back, and then remove a plastic container that held old pizza. Critically, he eyed the food and then sighed, shoving it back again.  
  
"Ran," Ken said slowly, walking up to the other man, "do you like Jei?"  
  
"Hn." Ran grunted, finding a bag of grapes that seemed suitable enough. "I like Jei."  
  
"He hits your sister!"  
  
"Hm? Does he?" Ran sounded only vaguely concerned, as he was preoccupied with washing off his grapes and pouring them into a bowl. Popping one into his mouth, he hummed thoughtfully. "Well, Aya does shoot her mouth off."  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"Hey, she does it to you all the time. I'm sure you've felt the frustration." Ran smirked briefly before turning to leave again. "Keep your nose out of other people's business. Aya is happy."  
  
Ken snorted, brown eyes narrowed as he watched the older man leave.  
  
~*~  
  
That night, Ken watched in fascination as the house was turned upside down, as well as invaded. Two boys trooped in around six, much to his shock, both wearing school uniforms that matched Aya's and carrying fancier clothes over their arms. The blonde boy with deep blue eyes bounced up to Ken and gave him an enthusiastic smile while chattering on about how happy he was he had been invited before dashing up the stairs and calling out Ran's name repeatedly.  
  
"Omi has never been to a concert before," explained the other boy, quietly, with a frown. He was dark-haired and had stormy colored eyes, wide and liquid, yet, at the same time, blank. He seemed hesitant, glancing around quickly, and then, quietly, he murmured, "My name is Nagi. We met at the party, but you never caught my name."  
  
Nagi...  
  
Ken snapped his fingers, feeling a jolt of realization shoot through his body. "You're Jei's nephew! The son of his sister..." Slowing his speech, he frowned and murmured, "Your mother died recently, didn't she?"  
  
If Nagi felt any sorrow at the statement, he hid it well. His huge, dreary eyes blinked once and he replied steadily, "Yes."  
  
"I'm sorry..."  
  
"It's ok." A pause. "I wasn't sure if I'd be welcome here after what Jei did to Aya."  
  
"Hey, that was him. You didn't have any say in it." He slapped the boy's back, grinning. "We both need to get ready for the concert. Upstairs with Omi."  
  
Ken knew Omi well, now that he thought about it. He was a senior at Aya's school, one of her best friends and the self-proclaimed computer genius. He spent many an afternoon at their house, trying to teach all the residents within the finer points of video gaming while persuading Ken to put more and more of his favorite junk food items on the grocery list.  
  
Ken climbed the stairs and turned into his bedroom, seeing that, much to his bewilderment, a black tuxedo had been laid out on his bed already. With a startled chuckle, he realized that Aya must have left it out for him, and shook his head in amazement. Was this event really so fancy?  
  
Apparently so. When he swung open his door, Omi and Nagi and Ran were dressed much the same, and Aya was wearing a fancy, Chinese evening gown made of a sleek lilac material that glistened every time she moved. It rose into a latched mandarin collar about her throat, the sleeves short, the slits up the sides past her knees. She smiled as he joined them in the hallway, brushing a stray bang towards her temple, the rest of her long hair tied back and put up in a bun.  
  
"Ok, so, just how formal is this thing?" demanded Ken, hopping on one foot to shove his left shoe on. A shoe he had never seen before. Did Aya shop for him as well?  
  
Ran glanced dryly at him. "It's huge." Quickly, he dismissed Ken then, as if he wanted to forget his presence, and asked snootily of his sister, "Where is Jei?"  
  
As if she was intimidated, she shrunk away slightly. "Um, I told you...we broke up."  
  
"What? Does Jei know about this? I can't imagine he'd agree to such a thing."  
  
Ken tried to exchange a puzzled glance with Omi, only the boy didn't seem to find anything strange. He merely rolled his eyes, as if tired of it all, while Nagi glanced away with hooded eyes. No one thought Ran's behavior was out of the ordinary, or that he was normally more caring, more protective.  
  
"This isn't a marriage, for heaven's sake," cried Omi, suddenly coming to his friend's defense. "Lay off, Ran. They were only dating. She doesn't need a reason or his permission to break things off."  
  
Ran snorted.  
  
"We should get going," urged Nagi. Ken was beginning to find that the boy didn't like confrontation. He looked to be about fifteen...  
  
They headed out to the cars.  
  
~*~  
  
Omi drove himself, Nagi, Aya, and Ken to the concert hall, while Ran took a separate car, which seemed fitting enough. They walked through the warm spring air into the building and then took their seats, Ken being between Aya and Omi. As the others talked excitedly about Schuldig's first concert, he took his time looking around the theater, at the high, high ceilings that seemed to drip chandeliers, the gold gilded walls, airy pictures of clouds and divine figures.  
  
"I'd be a nervous wreck if I was Schuldig," commented Aya, and Ken assumed she was speaking to him since no one answered her.  
  
"Do you think he is nervous?"  
  
"Nah, he's a great violinist, and he knows it." Aya smiled, looking as if she was going to comment further on his talents, and then frowned, suddenly caught up in a wrinkle that had appeared in her dress. Her hands smoothed over her stomach, trying to flatten out the material, and then she sighed hopelessly. "It fits everywhere but in my waist, where it is too loose," she complained quietly, mostly to herself. "I hate this dress."  
  
Before he knew it, Ken had thrown in his comment. "I like it."  
  
"Really? Jei says it makes me look fat." She smirked, quickly flicking her eyes away and then turning back to him, seeking reassurance.  
  
"I think we've all seen how much Farfarello's opinion matters," he commented dryly, momentarily turning bitter at the mention of the other man. "The dress is nice. You look nice tonight, Aya."  
  
Her face brightened, and she leaned her elbow onto the armrest, shifting closer. Her voice dropped to a low murmur as she said, "Thanks for being so nice to me, Ken. I've been having a hard time accepting the new Jei, and you're tolerating it all so patiently. When you first moved in...I didn't think we'd be friends, but you're a really nice guy."  
  
For some reason, her words sounded a little hollow. Like he had wanted her to tell him something more, or something more significant. He wasn't really sure what he wanted from her.  
  
The lights dimmed then, signaling that the curtains were about to open. When they did, the scarlet material sweeping back across the polished stage, Schuldig was already standing there, his violin in one hand and the bow in the other. A round of applause, he bowed, and then, silence. Elegantly, he lifted the violin and settled his chin onto the rest, soft auburn hair pulled back in a short ponytail that had been tied in a straight fall. The bow glided down to touch the second string, pulled back, and then sang out the first note. His wrist bent, craned, and angled in fluent movements as he closed his eyes and concentrated on playing his piece.  
  
Ken leaned back in his seat and listened intently, as was everyone else was. Not a single person was talking or moving, which was impressive, or at least he thought so. It went on for quite a while, different numbers, breaks and intercessions. By the end, Schuldig seemed a bit restless on the stage, his expression of calm concentration fading to exhausted focusing.  
  
Towards the end, Aya seemed to become particularly anxious as well, constantly looking around, glancing at the exit, and Ken didn't understand until he followed her line of vision and saw a lean figure standing in the doorway, light red hair and golden eyes making him recognizable even from the distance.  
  
So, Farfarello had had the nerve to show.  
  
Aya's hand on the armrest was clenched into a fist, and Ken, feeling sympathetic at how the Irishman was still trying to intimidate her, placed his hand over hers and leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Wanna take care of it?"  
  
Without a word, she began to rise, and when he followed, her hand lighted on his shoulder to push him down. "This'll take a second," she whispered, and quickly hurried down the aisle, tripping over Nagi's feet as she went.  
  
Ken kept his eyes on them until Aya met Farfarello, motioned for him to step aside, and the two disappeared into the lobby. Then, once he was sure they couldn't see, he got up and followed her path, the violin music filling the air with energy behind him. He didn't dare glance back to see if Schuldig, his supposed best friend, was watching him leave during his big debut.  
  
"Jei, stop it."  
  
He heard her voice before he saw her. Well, he never actually got to see her. They would spot him if he even attempted to crane his neck around the corner.  
  
"Aya, I told you that I was sorry. Please, forgive me. Come on, what would you think if you saw me with Schoen like that?"  
  
"It doesn't matter. This just isn't working. And if you can't accept that I've said NO, then you're not the kind of person I want to be with either." Aya sounded as if she had stamped her foot on the ground in anger and determination then.  
  
Jei remained calm and quiet. "You said you understood. You said you were going to help me through losing my sister."  
  
"I know I said that! But - this...! It's just... Oh, I don't know! You hit me! And I just don't trust you anymore."  
  
"You've hit me before though. You're not being fair, Aya."  
  
Ken pressed his back to the wall and shuddered slightly, making a disgusted face at the calm tone Farfarello was using, almost psychopathic.  
  
"Listen, stop calling me. Stop picking me up for school. It's over. Now, I have to get back to the concert. Ken will get worried."  
  
"Ken."  
  
A pause.  
  
And then, a loud thud - the sound of a body being thrown heavily against the wall.  
  
"It's always been Ken, hasn't it?!" Farfarello cried, and there was another thud, which prompted Ken to come out of hiding and skid around the corner, eyes darting wildly to the scene. Much to his surprise, Farfarello was standing with his forehead pressed against the wall, and then, leaning his head back, he brought it forth again and screamed, slamming his head into the wall for another heavy thud. Then, he began to sob, shoulders shaking, body slowly beginning to tremble.  
  
Aya carefully laid her hands on his back in an effort to comfort him, still having not noticed Ken. "No," she said quietly. "It's ok. I wasn't cheating on you. There's NOTHING between me and Ken. I just don't think we should go out anymore. We're too different..."  
  
Farfarello sniffled pathetically. He was quiet a few moments, giving Ken time to grow uneasy, a sense of horror slowly building up, and then, the Irishman whirled violently about, throwing out his arm to strike Aya, his limb going across her neck so that she choked and fell back, hitting the wall. Tears sprung to her eyes as they watered, and then, just as she was gasping, trying to regain her breath, beginning to sink down to the floor, he gathered her up in his arms and hugged her close, sobbing into her shoulder.  
  
"I just want to be with you!" he whispered hoarsely.  
  
"Aya!" Ken stalked towards them, thrust an arm between them, and pried her quickly out of Farfarello's grasp, the other man struggling slightly but ultimately giving up, backing off as Ken took Aya by the shoulders and quickly brushed some hair out of her dazed face and inquired upon her health.  
  
Still a bit shaky, she answered, "I'm fine, Ken. Thanks." The quickness of her words and the blush in her cheeks gave way to the fact that she was embarrassed.  
  
"Farfarello, I swear..." Ken could barely face the other man - he was too angry. "I swear, if you touch her again, I'll kill you!"  
  
Farfarello smiled eerily. "I'll see you tonight, Aya," he replied almost obliviously, and rushed off as a crowd started to gather.  
  
~*~  
  
Schuldig was backstage, Ran and Nagi and Omi at his side, when Ken caught up with him. The German's hair had mostly fallen out of the ponytail, damp with sweat, his face aglow with relief that he had made it through his first concert. He was wearing a white tuxedo, and he had carelessly tossed his shoes aside so that he stood in black socked feet. "Ken!" he called out, waving an arm when he saw his friend lingering on the side of the stage, trying to get past security. "Ken! Ah, jeez, let him through, will ya'?"  
  
Ken and Aya edged past the guard and walked up to the others, who didn't seem to sense anything wrong.  
  
"What'd you think, Ken?" Schuldig asked hopefully. "Did you like it? You're usually my biggest critic, so if you thought it was good, then it really was."  
  
That didn't sound right at all. Ken was almost edgy around Schuldig. His instincts told him that his best friend was a sneaky, lying fiend just waiting to hurt him.  
  
But could he ever play the violin...  
  
"You were great," he told him honestly.  
  
Schuldig's face brightened. "Thank you! My heart was pounding!"  
  
Nagi looked curious. "I didn't think you got nervous, Schuldig."  
  
"Everyone gets nervous, kid."  
  
Aya was standing slightly apart from the group, looking pale and rubbing her bare arms anxiously. After a little while, she glanced up, tugged on Ran's sleeve, and whispered, "Could you drive me home...?"  
  
He rolled his eyes at her. "I don't want to miss the after party."  
  
"I'll do it," Ken volunteered. Omi tossed him his keys and Ken nodded his appreciation. "I'll bring the car back to you in the morning," he said.  
  
"S'ok, I'll just catch a ride with Nagi. Jei should be waiting for us."  
  
Aya shuddered and Ken quickly took her by the arm, pulling her out the back way. As they drove home in silence, it began to rain, and then to pour, and then to thunder. He escorted her quietly into the house, watched her disappear up the stairs, and was standing there only minutes later when she came back in her pajamas, looking slightly frazzled.  
  
"Can I sleep with you?" she asked.  
  
He choked on the water he'd been drinking. "Wha?!  
  
"Just in your bed." She tugged absent-mindedly at her too-long sleeve. "I'm scared, to be honest. Jei has a key to this house. He's come in before and come up to my room to apologize to me after a fight. Then he left through the window. It was just last week." She looked at the floor guiltily. "If he comes in tonight, I don't want to have to face him. He won't come to your room."  
  
"Fine. I'll sleep in your bed."  
  
"No!" Even she looked surprised at her protest. "What I mean is...I'm scared, so... Ok, the truth is, I would ask my brother if I could stay in his room, but he's not here. Please, Ken. I know it sounds really weird for me to ask this, but I just really need some company right now. Ever since Jei started to get really possessive, I've sorta been alone...no friends anymore."  
  
Ken sighed and slumped his shoulders. "But...if your brother sees us..."  
  
"Are you joking? He'll be too drunk when he gets home to notice."  
  
Ran? Drunk? What?  
  
Ken waved a hand, dismissing the subject, and then told her, "It'll be fine. Come on, let's get to bed then."  
  
She grinned and ran up the stairs like an excited child, and by the time he reached the room, she was snuggled under the covers and hugging his favorite pillow to her cheek. He quickly undressed in the bathroom, putting on a pair of gray sweat pants and a black T-shirt only because she was there, and then flicked off the lights, crawling into the bed and laying over the covers with only a few inches between them. His bed wasn't very big, but he figured it wouldn't be too awkward if he didn't get under the covers with her. Folding his hands beneath his head, he stared at the ceiling and listened to the rain pelting down on the roof, smiling at the sound of it. He loved the rain.  
  
Aya mimicked his position and then shuddered as thunder shook the house. "I hate it," she mumbled, "when you can feel the thunder through the floorboards."  
  
He laughed. "It's cool."  
  
"Hey...Ken?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I'm not bothering you too much, am I?"  
  
"Nah, it's ok."  
  
"Oh, ok. Thank you." She rolled over onto her side, facing away from him, and then a few moments later, turned to face him, her eyes barely open. "Hey, Ken?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You're one of my best friends."  
  
His eyes widened slightly, and although he glanced quickly over at her in shock, she had already fallen asleep by the time his gaze alighted on her form. Still in shock, he turned his line of vision back to the ceiling, the hands tucked behind his head starting to feel sharp little needle pricks from the loss of circulation. He hadn't realized he and Aya were all that close - then again, he could barely recall upon anything, and although he didn't feel like Schuldig was anything more than a name he could put to a face, people told him they were best friends.  
  
Again, he looked at Aya, her dark hair veiling her face. Carefully, he pushed it back off her cheek, tucking the loose strands behind her ear, smiling slightly.  
  
Ok, so maybe what Aya had told Farfarello wasn't totally true.  
  
Maybe there was a little something between them.  
  
At least he thought so.  
  
~*~  
  
Review!! 


	4. You and I Both

Alright, another chapter! I'm moving along now! Don't own 'You and I both' by Jason Mraz, but then again, the only things I do own are my eye shadow, my lucky bamboo plant, and a pair of flip flop sandals.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter two -

Shadaphilaro: I am sorry for the belatedness of it all, but thanks for your review - hopefully you'll review this chapter.

Mistress of Darkness1: lol, I love Fruits Basket. Shigure is just the best there is. Keep on reviewing pleeeeaaaaaase!

Xaoseph: I always appreciate your reviews so much - thanks for everything

Misura: You almost always review my chapters! lol, you were even there for You See Past My Scars, weren't you? I could be wrong, but it feels like you reviewed something else... Anyhow, I really appreciate it all, thanks a lot!

Apocalipticoblivion: lol, this is a straight story. I'm not sure where it could've been yaoi... Maybe between Schuldig and Ken? Naaah, this is a Ken/Aya fic. ...Aya as in the original, not her brother! ;;

Thanks to the few who reviewed chapter three (is this what happens when I don't thank you! lol) -

Misura: Yay! Another review from you! This makes me very happy. Personally, I kinda always felt bad for Farfarello in the series. I mean, what does he have to look forward to in life? His blender time everyday, that's what! How sad... Keep on reviewing, the story's bound to get a little darker...

* * *

The telephone rang shrilly next to Ken's ear and he slammed his hand down heavily upon it with a disgruntled groan. Then, without thinking, he rolled over and pulled the sheets tighter to himself, smacking the cordless phone down on the pillow next to Aya's head.

She jolted awake, eyes widening, and then carefully pried it from his fingers, ignoring his mumbling and raising it to her ear to softly speak into the receiver.

Ken partially drifted off again, rolling onto his back and grumbling about the rudeness of the caller, though he was only half awake, swatting at nothing every now and then with his eyes firmly shut. He could hear Aya talking, her voice rising in volume until she was much too loud, and he groaned in annoyance, mumbling, "Aya-chan, get off the..."

She hung up then, promising, "We'll be right over," and then crawled back onto the bed, sitting on her knees and shaking him repeatedly. "Ken, Ken, Ken!" She kept saying his name, louder when he rolled over and curled into a tight ball, hugging a pillow over his head to block her out. Finally, frustrated, she ran to his closet and fell to her knees, rooting through the pile of crumpled clothes on the floor. "Ken!" she yelled, tossing out a pair of jeans and then continuing to root through the laundry for a somewhat clean shirt. "Ken, wake up, please! Nagi just called - I promised we'd come over!"

Ken mustered up all his will power and slowly, achingly forced himself to sit up and open his eyes. Peering through the dark, he could see Aya picking up the clothes she had selected and walking over to him. "Why would we go over there?" he demanded, rubbing his left eye with a fist while using the right to look at the alarm clock. The number blinked 2:13. "It's almost two-fifteen in the morning!" he cried out, looking at her with a horrified expression. "And hey...doesn't Nagi live with Farfarello?"

"Yes, but he called and said there is something really wrong with Jei. He said I would understand."

"Understand what?" Ken flopped back on the bed, half asleep again.

"I don't know! He just said that he was scared and wanted to know if he could spend the night here. He was whispering the whole time - like he was making the phone call without Jei's permission. Ken! Get dressed! Or do you want me to dress you?"

Poor Aya, he thought, she thinks that she is making a threat. Obviously, being the girlfriend of Farfarello had left her with very little knowledge about how normal men thought.

She smacked his knee harshly, exclaiming, "What if Farfarello beats Nagi! It never occurred to me that he'd physically abuse his nephew, but if he hit me, it's more than likely!"

Ken shot up in the bed, his groggy mind finally processing what she wanted him to realize. "I'll meet you at the car in five minutes," he promised. "But do you think we should notify the police?"

She shook her head. "Not yet, but I'll take my cell phone, just in case. If Nagi seems hurt, we'll report him."

Ken nodded, watching as she dashed out of his room and into hers, slamming the door to hurriedly dress.

A few minutes later, he stood down at the car, watching for her carefully until she came out the front door, locking it behind her and jogging over to climb into the passenger side of the vehicle. "Thanks, Ken," she said, glancing at him gratefully as she buckled her seat belt. She had changed into her black hoodie and a pair of jeans, her long hair still falling messily over her shoulders.

He started the car, smiling. "Hey, it's no problem. What are friends for?"

She sighed. "You're the best, Ken."

Somehow, he liked hearing her say that.

* * *

"This is it, huh?"

"Look, there's an empty spot - park there."

Ken sighed, and began to back the car into the space he had just passed. They'd been driving around the parking lot for almost three minutes, forlornly searching for a place to leave the car when they went into the apartment buildings to search out Nagi. Finally, after having the vehicle in a safe place, they climbed out, locked the doors, and headed into the building. It was dark, and silently, they walked over to the elevator.

"What floor?" asked Ken as the doors slid apart.

"Third," she answered.

"So, what are we going to say when Farfarello answers the door?"

"I don't know, but I'll do the talking if you just back me up." From inside her hoodie's pocket, the shrill ring of her cell phone pierced the air. "Oh..." She quickly fumbled to pull it out, turning it on and cradling it to her ear. "Hello?"

Ken could faintly hear the caller's voice.

"Aya? It's Nagi."

"Nagi! We're in your building! Are you ok?"

"Just don't tell anyone...alright?"

Nagi's voice sounded raspy, strained, but at the same time, calm.

Aya opened her mouth to speak, paused, and then sighed. "He hung up," she explained softly, tucking the phone back into her hoodie, just as they reached the floor and the doors clicked, parting smoothly.

They stepped out of the elevator and walked silently down the dark halls. Aya brought a key out of her pocket and unlocked the door with ease, glancing at Ken with an almost apologetic expression. "I didn't use the key often," she whispered as if to ward off accusations, slipping inside the apartment.

He followed her, and the stench of blood that hit him was overwhelming. Surprised, he took a step back, drew in a deep breath, and then looked around. He could see nothing in disarray except an overturned chair and a broken dish that lay on the tiles of the kitchen floor.

Aya stood rooted to her spot, looking afraid to move.

"Come on," he whispered, taking her by the hand and tugging her towards the hallway. "You smell that?"

"Yes... What is it?"

"Blood."

She bit her lip, glancing cautiously to the side, obviously fearing what the darkness might hide. "Maybe someone broke in..." she murmured. "Maybe Jei and Nagi are hurt. Maybe we should call the police..."

He hushed her by holding a finger to his lips, motioning for silence, and then moving forward.

Hidaka, where are you?

He stopped, listening, and then shook his head. They rounded the corner and came to the bedroom. Aya peeked in past him and he could feel her chest pressing lightly on his back as she hid behind him, leaning over his shoulder to peer into the room. She inhaled sharply, tightening her hand on his arm, and then said quietly, "Do you think...they are ok?"

He passed into the room, looking at the wrinkled, blood-stained sheets, the shredded pillows, and then at the carpet, which also sported stiff, dark stains. "Someone got torn up," he observed grimly, and then exited the room again, pausing in the hall way to look at the next door. "Where does that lead?"

"Just a storage room."

Abyssian, he's not responding.

Ken approached the door and lay his hand to the knob, twisting it slowly, feeling as if this was all old hat - like he'd been through this before. His free hand clenched instinctively, and felt strangely empty...like he should have some sort of weapon. Drawing in a deep breath, he opened the door, immediately sliding to the left to the side to avoid anything that might come flying out in attack.

Nothing happened, but he did notice the stench of blood grow distinctly stronger.

Aya, who stood at his shoulder, peered through the darkness and inhaled sharply, immediately swaying as though she were going to pass out right there on the spot. Ken grabbed her hand to steady her, and then surveyed the damage for himself.

Maybe Schwartz got him... Balinese, where is Mastermind?

"What do you want...?" demanded Farfarello from where he sat in the corner of the room, huddled up in the shadows, a dagger clenched tightly in his fist. Blood poured from multiple wounds - injuries forged by his own hand - running down his face and over his arms and even soaking through his clothes. He looked miserably desolate and malicious, amber eyes glowering at them, the moonlight sifting through the single window washing over his hair and making it look silver.

A shape shifted in the darkness in the center of the room. Ken felt a sickening sensation settle in the pit of his stomach when he realized it was Nagi, curled up in a protective ball and just as sliced up as his uncle. Blood had formed in a puddle around him, and he slowly opened one bruised, swollen eye to stare blankly at the pair in the doorway, his facial expression never changing.

"Aya, what are you doing?" Farfarello whispered, stretching out a shaking hand in her direction. Almost in a pleading tone, he murmured, "Come here, Aya..."

Aya looked nervously at Ken, nudging him with her elbow and whispering, "Get Nagi..." And then she was moving carefully across the room, and he was walking beside her, stopping only when he reached the boy.

"Nagi?" he whispered, kneeling down and examining the boy closer. The gray eye slid shut again, and he ceased movement, blood stiff in his bangs and shirt. In the dim lighting, he looked pale and ghostly, and when Ken touched his cold hand, he felt dead.

Farfarello watched them carefully, seeming edgy with Ken at his nephew's side. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

"Jei," Aya said quietly, "are you ok? Do you want me to...to call an ambulance?"

"No."

Ken eased his arms under Nagi, picking up his limp form and then slowly rising to his feet again.

Farfarello panicked, scrambling to his feet, eyes wide. "What are you doing? Where are you taking him!" He leaned forward to grip Aya's shoulder, causing her to flinch and grit her teeth, whimpering quietly when he shook her in questioning. "Aya, what is Ken doing?"

"You're not well," she mumbled, casting her eyes to the ground.

He struck her violently across the cheek, throwing her back against the wall and leaping for Ken. He was in midair when Aya, who had crashed to her knees, threw herself forward and wrapped her arms around his calves, jerking him back so that they both crashed to the ground. He howled in anger, rolling onto his back and turning on her, drawing back his foot and kicking her squarely in the chest so that she fell away wide-eyed and pale, gasping in pain.

Ken looked from side to side, and as a last resort, set Nagi back down, preparing for Farfarello's attack. He felt strangely ready as the other man circled him, preparing to strike. The dagger had slipped from his blood- stained fingers, close enough that it was within Ken's arm reach, and he made sure to lean down and scoop it up before the Irishman could. Then, grasping the handle tightly, he waited for Farfarello to dart in and sunk the blade deep into his shoulder.

No reaction came from his opponent. Farfarello merely wrenched the knife from his arm, not even giving Ken the satisfaction of watching him flinch. He prepared to strike again, but Ken shot his arm out in a quick left hook, followed by a roundhouse kick, and Farfarello was dazed just long enough for Aya to shoot past and Ken to gather up Nagi. She led the way, running down the hall at top speed and then throwing open the door, bursting out with Ken close behind. With one hand on the rail, she dashed down the stairs, skipping two at a time and feeling as if every step contained the risk of a dangerous fall because of her high speed. But Ken was heavily running down the stairs behind her, barely holding onto his balance, his journey made even more difficult because of what he carried.

Farfarello was suddenly careening behind them, yelling for Aya to come back and for Ken to drop Nagi. They hit the first landing and continued down the next flight, panting for breath and feeling as though the Irishman was breathing down their necks.

Aya hit the main floor, turned to see if Ken was alright, and let her eyes widen in horror when Farfarello finally caught up, hitting Ken heavily in the back of the head.

He yelled, stumbling forward and instinctively curling his body in preparation for the fall, shielding Nagi with himself as they hit the ground, rolling a few feet before stopping and lying still.

People were peaking out from behind their nearly shut doors - lights were flicking on and someone was talking about calling the police.

Farfarello heard the whispers and saw the many curious eyes on him, instantly freezing up.

Ken was shakily beginning to rise to his feet, struggling to lift Nagi and finding his strength sapped. The jolt, however, had somewhat awoken the boy, and with Aya's help, both made it to their feet, Nagi leaning on her and limping slightly. Ken remained at their sides, shuffling along and taking off his coat to drape it around Nagi's shoulders, saying quietly, "We're in deep - come on, we can get home and rest some before the police come questioning tomorrow."

Aya gulped down a lump in her throat and protectively slid an arm around the shivering boy's shoulders as they walked through the parking lot, hugging him close to her and remarking, "We'll take care of you, Nagi, don't worry."

Ken sighed wearily and handed her the car keys before crawling into the back seat with the intention of stretching out across it to nurse his wounds, but instead only falling asleep.

* * *

Nagi had bathed and changed into fresh clothes, reluctantly allowing Aya to bandage the cuts that marred his body, explaining quietly to her what had happened. Apparently, it was as simple as Farfarello losing it that night and beating and cutting him viciously, as well as abusing his own body.

Aya wearily left Nagi in her own room after that, telling him he could use her bed, and retreated to Ken's room, finding it empty. It was almost four A.M., but she didn't want to sleep without thanking him, so she decided to wait up. To help keep her eyes open, she walked to his stereo and took her CD case (she often left it in his room since she didn't have a CD player of her own), flipping through the burned CDs, all unlabeled, and picking a random one. She put it in and pressed play.

_Was it you who spoke the words that things would happen but not to me? Oh, things are going to happen naturally..._

Satisfied, she returned to the other side of the room, flopping down on the bed and gasping in pain as a sudden ache came to her chest. Surprised, she pressed her fingertips to her collar and found that the spot was tender and hurt, next unbuttoning her night shirt to peer down at the source of the pain. A large bruise was swelling just above her cleavage, purple and blue and green at the edges - right where Farfarello had kicked her.

_Oh, but at often times those words get tangled up in lies, and the bright light turns to night. Until the dawn it brings, another day to sing about the magic that was you and me, 'cause you and I both loved..._

With a quiet moan, she laid back again and closed her eyes tightly, trying to wash away from her memory the gruesome scene of Nagi and Farfarello in that back room. Instead, she turned her thoughts to wondering where Ken was - probably cleaning up in the bathroom. Nagi had smeared a lot of blood on his skin and clothes. Her hand quested on the night stand for the ice pack she had brought in, bringing it to her cheek, which was now branded with an even bigger bruise - all courtesy of Farfarello's hand.

She had drifted half asleep when she felt the bed dip with Ken's added weight, opening her eyes to see him leaning over her, looking worn and tired. "What a nasty bruise," he commented softly, and she blushed, quickly buttoning her shirt back up.

_See, I'm all about them words, open numbers, unencumbered, numbered words... Hundreds of pages, pages, pages, forwards... More words than I'd ever heard, and I feel so alive. 'Cause you and I both loved what you and I spoke of, and others just read of..._

Ken smiled down at the girl. She looked more exhausted than hurt, but he himself was experiencing the bone-tired weariness he knew she felt. On his knees beside her, he leaned heavily on his left hand and used the right to brush some dark hair from her eyes. "You got away with very minimal injuries."

She nodded slightly, peering up at him in the darkness, looking slightly concerned. "You ok, Ken? He hit you pretty hard."

He touched the bruise swelling on the back of his head, wincing slightly, and forced a smile. "I'm ok, just achy." Then, he sighed heavily and lay down beside her, stretching his spent body out on top of the sheets. He tilted his head to look at her then, and saw that she was smiling, so he grinned back, though it quickly faded with the onslaught of pain that hit then, causing him to cross his arms tightly over his chest in an attempt to calm his suddenly reeling stomach.

_And it's ok if you have to go away, just remember the telephone works both ways, but if I never hear it ring... If nothing else I'll think the bells inside have finally found you someone else, and that's ok, 'cause I'll remember everything you sang..._

"Here," Aya said quietly, taking the ice pack she had been using for her face and placing it on the back of his head, over the bruise. "You need this more than me."

He shivered at the chill that passed through his body when the cold seeped through his hair and into his scalp.

Noticing, she scooted closer and draped part of her blanket over him, the cramped space bringing them scarcely an inch apart. Her arms gently slid around him and pulled him into an affectionate embrace and she smiled, kissing his cheek and whispering in his ear, "Thanks for helping me and Nagi tonight, Ken. You didn't have to, so it means a lot."

His eyes drifted shut and he mumbled his reply, relaxing slowly in her arms before releasing his grip on consciousness and sinking into the welcoming comfort sleep.

_'Cause you and I both loved what you and I spoke of, and others just dreamed of... And if you could see me now, I'm finally - I'm almost finally out of words._

* * *

Review! 


	5. I want some oreos

Whew, it's been a loooong time since I updated! Hopefully you guys didn't give up on me

Xaoseph: Yes, I know you hate Ran - you're sweet like that.

Misura: Aww, such a faithful reviewer - makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside Yep, I've noticed that myself - the whole people needing and wanting Ken thing. Funny how I don't intend for things to work and fit together and they somehow do. Keep on reviewing!

Kamazova: Yep, I wish you'd found it earlier too - I like reviews! Keep on reading and reviewing! I really appreciated your reviews on my other stories - Death Song and You See Past My Scars, right? I think those are the ones...I could be wrong, but it sounds right to me :P

On with the story!

Oh yes, and as a warning, didn't check it very thoroughly for typos or grammatical errors, so beware!

* * *

"Should we call Kritker?" The seventeen-year-old boy looked worriedly at his older comrade, who was sitting contemplatively on the edge of a window seat in his sister's room. "He still hasn't woken up... As far as I can see, he is just...sleeping. Almost comatose."

The redhead turned amethyst eyes to the speaker and sighed, shaking his head slightly. "We can't call them in yet. Let's let him sleep and see if he comes to tomorrow morning."

"He doesn't even look that banged up," commented the tall, lean man standing at the bed, peering down at his motionless teammate. Shoulder- length, wavy, light brown hair fell into his jade eyes and he pushed it back with a gloved hand. None of them had changed out of assassin gear yet. "Do you think Hidaka's mind got all screwed up because of Mastermind?"

"That German seemed pretty much dead," the blonde boy commented, shaking his head slightly.

"Well, yeah - I almost had him DEAD until he used that inhuman speed of his and got away."

The redhead raised a slim eyebrow, looking doubtfully at the other man.

A girl appeared in the doorway in that moment of silence, still clad in her school uniform, dark hair in braids. "What's going on?" she asked her older brother, nervously glancing at the unconscious man in her bed. "Is Hidaka-san ok?"

Abyssian rose from the window seat and shrugged out of his trench coat, carefully folding it over his arm and lying it down and stripping of his gloves. He never liked to touch his sister with anything that had been used to kill. Then, once he stood in his T-shirt and jeans, brushing his hair back away from his purple eyes, he stepped forward and hugged the girl close to him, apologizing, "I'm sorry, your room was the first one we came too. Hidaka's is being remodeled. We really weren't thinking. I'll sleep on the couch and you can have my bed."

She glanced back at her bed with a frown and then at her brother's teammates, two of them standing impassively before her and the other looking near dead, he was so still. "Ok," she said with sigh. "That's fine. He's going to be ok though, right?"

"Of course." He pulled back slightly, but kept his arm almost protectively around her shoulder. "He'll be fine."

She leaned forward a little, looking at him and studying his usually tan face, now pale, his thick, brown hair tousled messily, and closed eyes - she knew they were a deep, chocolate color beneath the eyelids. "It looks like he's dreaming," she commented softly. "Don't you think, Ran?"

* * *

Ken woke up before Aya did, sitting up slowly in the bed and feeling the ice pack tumble from the top of his head. It was melted and warm now, and he picked up the water-filled bag to set it on the night stand. Then, he tenderly pressed his fingertips to the soft bruise on the back of his head. Pain shot through his skull, and he winced, quickly withdrawing his hand and closing his eyes.

There was a commotion downstairs. It sounded as if someone was banging pots and pans around on the stove, and then, a particularly loud crash, like someone had thrown a plate against the wall. Ken cringed at the sound, desperately hoping Farfarello hadn't used his key to come into the house and was throwing a fit in the kitchen.

He just wasn't up to another fight yet.

Aya stirred and groaned at all the noise issuing from downstairs and rolled over onto her stomach, pulling a pillow over her head. "What's going on, Ken?" she mumbled.

He dropped his legs over the side of the bed and put his cold feet on the floor, shuddering slightly as the covers fell away and cool air hit him. The banging was still going on, and he cringed, putting a hand to the side of his head as it began to throb. "I don't know," he replied. "I'll go see."

Aya rolled out of the bed and rubbed her eyes, shuffling along behind him as he made his way to the stairs and walked stiffly down. When they came into the kitchen, the pandemonium decreased considerably as Ran slammed shut the counter drawer and turned his head to look with narrowed eyes at them. "Ken, when was the last time you went grocery shopping?" he grumbled. "You keep eating the bread. I am so sick of coming down here for a piece of toast and finding that the bread has magically vanished!" He opened another drawer, only to slam it again. "Aya, aren't you late for school?"

"It's the weekend, Ran."

"Hn." He squinted out the window, at the bright morning sun, and then turned agitatedly to the refrigerator. "By the way Ken, you're editor left a message - babbling on about writing a biography about some big movie star. I dunno, really."

Ken shrugged and headed back up the stairs to get dressed.

He was getting used to feeling like everything was turned around.

* * *

Ken, at Ran's commanding, left the house later that day to do some grocery shopping. He didn't complain, figuring that since he lived at the house practically for free that he should feel a bit obligated to do a few chores.

Plus, he was putting off his writing.

Nagi was still asleep in Aya's bed when he left, and Ran had mumbled a promise to watch out for him and not let Farfarello take him lest he show up and try to do so. Now, with the shopping list crumpled up in his pocket and two, filled to the brim, paper bags, one in each arm, he made his way mechanically back down the road to the house, and he would've gotten there had he not glanced across the street and seen Aya in passing.

She was standing on the sidewalk, looking at the glass display of a dress shop, appearing to be admiring a fancy dress. Ken glanced both ways and then crossed the road, calling out her name, smiling when she turned and waved.

"Ran sent you shopping?" she asked curiously, adjusting the strap of her satchel so that it more comfortably crossed her chest. Aya didn't carry a purse - they were too small for the mass of pointless items she kept with her at all times.

"Yeah. Hey, what are you looking at here?"

"Oh, just this dress." She smirked and turned back to look at the mannequin sporting the gown, a sea of glittering, sky blue material that fit tight in the bodice and then flared out into a full length skirt. "I was going to buy it, but then...well, you see, Farfarello was going to pay for half of it. He was kind of weird like that, very generous with money - too generous, really. He was my date to this school thing, but of course we're not going anymore, so..."

Ken set the grocery bags down and tilted his head slightly to the side, considering. "It's a really nice dress," he said slowly. "Are you still going to the dance?"

"Uh huh. Alone, but still going."

"Hey, I could give you the money you need for the other half." He fished around in his coat pockets for his wallet, frowning when his fingers could not search out the worn leather. "I mean, you NEED a dress, right? You can just pay me back later."

"But, it's just..." She paused. "Ken, why? I mean, you shouldn't. It's too much for you to do."

He shrugged. "Don't argue with me. I like the dress - you should buy it. Besides, it's a loan; that's perfectly acceptable." A triumphant smile crossed his face as he finally located the wallet, which he had begun to fear would turn up lost, and he quickly withdrew the needed money and pressed it into her palm. "Go on."

"Ok..." She said warily. "I will pay you back!" Then, with a quick smile and nod, she dashed into the store, waving over her shoulder at him and calling out, "I'll see you at home!"

* * *

The first thing Ken noticed when he walked up the driveway was the police car. The second, was the yelling. Then, after realizing an officer must've come to inquire about Nagi and the trouble with Farfarello, he plunged in like a trooper, arriving just in time to see Ran throw a vase through the window. From there, he alternated between cleaning up the glass and assuring the outraged policeman that Farfarello was indeed the abusive one, although it appeared to be Ran. Nagi backed him up on this, although Ran still sat crossly at the kitchen table, repeating over and over, "They're lying, the kid must cut himself. Kids cut themselves all the time. A bunch of masochists - come on, it's all that teen angst."

By the time Aya come home, the mess was out of hand and Ran was in danger of being arrested, so she frantically tried to aid Ken and Nagi in providing information about the situation.

Three exhausting hours lately, the officer left, Ran smashed a dish, and Ken had to clean up more glass. As he did this, Aya excitedly took the dress out of the box, held it up for him to see, and said, "All I need now is a date."

Ken paused, glanced up, frowned, and nodded. "Mm hmm. But you know, going stag isn't so bad."

"Oh, I've gone stag plenty of times. But I want a date this time," she said stubbornly, obliviously.

"Ok..." He swept up the last of the splintered glass into the dust pan and stood from his kneeling position to dump it all in the trash. Then, sighing, he leaned against the counter and said hesitantly, "You know, I'm surprised you want to date so soon after breaking up with Farfarello."

She held the dress up to her and spun around to watch the skirt twirl. He watched too, thinking that when she put it on, the hem would swirl nicely around her ankles. "How can you trust someone again so soon?" he added quietly.

"Oh, Ken," she chastised, smiling, "you're more wary than I am."

He didn't really have anything to say to that. He vaguely considered offering to take her himself, and then decided against it. They stood in silence a few moments, she quietly humming to herself, and then, just as he was about to leave, the back door burst open.

"Brad! I always tell you to knock, but you don't listen!" Aya cried in distress.

The tall American brushed off her comment and strode inside, pushing his glasses up higher on the bridge of his nose and glaring at Ken, focusing his gaze solely on the other man with a predatory glint in his eyes. His muscles tensed and he quickened his pace, giving Ken the impulse to flee, but instead of pouncing on him, Brad stopped inches away, brought their faces scarcely a breath apart, and growled, "Where are they, Ken! WHERE ARE THEY!"

"Whaaa?" Ken mumbled, ducking away from the dark-haired man and sidling over to timidly stand by Aya, hoping that she at least would discourage the other man from murdering him. He couldn't really figure out what it was about Brad that seemed to familiar and so...obnoxious, or what he wanted - though he felt he should know.

He always felt he should know.

Where was his mind lately?

"The last five pages, Ken! THE END TO YOUR MANUSCRIPT!" Brad was approaching again, clenching his hands into fists as if trying to resist the urge to strangle someone. "I CANNOT turn in your book without the ending! It's due in three days! I need those pages!"

"It's not a problem, Brad," Ken tried to calm him. "I can write them up real quick. Err...now, what books is this again?"

Brad looked ready to sob, hanging his head, and then, raking his fingers through his hair, he growled, "Get it together, Ken, or we're both in trouble."

Aya and Ken both watched him exit, slamming the door behind him.

"Mr. Crawford is really uptight," Aya commented, folding her dress over her arm. "You shouldn't tease him like that. Acting like you don't know what your book is about."

Ken didn't even try to explain he hadn't the faintest what he was writing, nor did he get the chance, for the phone rang then. Aya excused herself to answer it, leaving him alone to put away the neglected groceries. The ice cream had melted and the grapes were smashed, but he barely bothered to clean them up before stashing both in the refrigerator.

* * *

Aya did manage to pull off finding a date for the dance - which, Ken learned, was the next night. He watched enviously from the door as she, clad in the new dress, hair done up, shivering from the slight chill in the air - walked out to the car to meet the young man who was taking her.

She looked nice, very elegant. Of course, before leaving, she had asked everyone's opinions. 'You look like a fairy tale character,' Nagi had said blandly, softly. Ken had simply said he agreed and commented on her shoes.

Ran, was an entirely different story. "Oh, Aya...that dress...it's so...blue." Used to this kind of treatment, she had promptly ignored him.

"Look at that," Ken snarled in disgust, eyes narrowed as she opened the passenger door and climbed into the car. "He didn't even come up to the house to get her! He made her walk out there to him. What horrendous manners. I can definitely tell this was a last minute deal. She wouldn't have gone out with a jerk like that if she had had a choice."

Nagi blinked his frighteningly child-like eyes at him and then murmured, "Kenken, you wish you were going with them?"

"Well," he snorted, turning to shut the door, "it'd give me something to do besides finish this stupid book."

"You know what I think you should do in your book?" Nagi offered.

Ken sat down at the computer, looking to see that Nagi had taken a seat on the couch a few feet away. He considered the boy's opinion and then decided that he couldn't be any less clueless than he himself felt. "Ok, what?"

Nagi shifted to fold his legs underneath him, settling on his knees and reclining back, looking amazingly wise for his age. "I read what you had so far - Brad let me because I asked. I wouldn't just show North dying. I would show him lying in the snow, all bloody, and then slowly, the earth would begin to change, and the ice beneath him would melt and he would drop into the sea and open his eyes to see that he was floating away from the surface. Then, I would switch to a scene with all the others. You know, because Cora said the earth would be reborn and they'd look for each other - again. Show Vin sitting in traffic, Angelo eating, Jack...being a kid. Maybe he could pick up a stray kitten or something. Then, show North walking through the back allies in the exact same scene that opened the book."

With his fingers poised over the keys, Ken paused, shook his head slightly, and asked, "How would you like to walk me through that?"

* * *

Ken had planned on staying up until Aya arrived home, but in the end he fell asleep on his keyboard. When he woke up, he groggily lifted his hand and peered at the computer screen to see what he had gotten done the night before.

'One golden eye slid open, bubbles of lost oxygen escaping to the surface and (Nagi, stop reading over my shoulder - it really ticks me off. Yes, I thought this was a clever way to tell you as well) disappearing into the blinding light that hovered over the murky depths he was slowly sinking into. One thought, one string of words slipping through his mind as the lack of air began to wrestle consciousness away... yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy...'

The strand of Y's went on a lot longer, a few pages, actually, and he marveled over how he had slept the entire night on various keys but had only produced a single letter. Apparently, it only typed in the first letter he pressed and held down, although there were several more where his cheek had laid. Interesting.

"Ken, you ate the last apple, didn't you?" Aya was standing behind him now, agitated, still in her pajamas and with her arms crossed.

He quickly closed the window on his document and whirled around in his chair to scowl at her. "You went two hours over curfew!" he accused.

"Uh...sorry? I didn't know I had a curfew."

"I hope you know that date of yours gave me the evil eye from his car."

"You couldn't see him - he has tinted windows."

Silence.

"You don't like that guy, do you, Aya?"

"Do you NOT like him?"

"I think he's bad news. He didn't even come to the door to get you - and how can you date anyone this soon after the whole Farfarello thing?"

"Because Farfarello was one bad experience I don't feel like lingering on. Why are you harping on me about this?"

Ken rolled his eyes and stood up, stalking over to the couch and flopping on his back, folding his arms over his chest crossly and sulking. "You're just gonna end up getting abused again."

Aya blinked, looking slightly startled. "Um, ok...so what do you think I should do? Just never trust anyone again?"

"...hey, I never said that...but you might want to just reconsider trusting every guy you come across."

"Who can I trust, Ken?"

"I don't know," he shot back, agitated. "All I know is that I would never hurt you."

"So, what are you saying? I should just date you?"

Awkward silence.

Ken shifted on the couch to sit up and set his elbows on his knees, bowing his head slightly to avoid her smirking eyes. "Um..."

He heard the cloth of her pajamas rustling as she walked over and sat down heavily beside him, bouncing a little on the cushion and chuckling. "Would you wanna date me, Ken?" she demanded.

For a while, he didn't want to answer. She wants me to say no so we can laugh about it together, he thought glumly. If I say yes, she'll just blow it off, or act shocked and upset and leave and things will be funny feeling for a while. Finally, he growled back, "Would you want to date me?"

"I asked you first."

"So? I asked you second."

"Don't be childish."

He stuck his tongue out at her.

She considered biting his tongue.

"Yes," he said.

"Fine," she replied.

They sat there a few moments before they both regained their senses and Aya leaned back, flipping her hair over her shoulder and asking, "Where ya' gonna take me?"

"Huh?"

"For our first date!"

He wasn't sure what to think of all this, it had happened so quickly. His head was still reeling, so he scratched his hair and asked blankly, "Where do you want to go?"

Aya jumped up and bounded into the kitchen, calling over her shoulder, "I'll tell you when I decide!" And then the clanging of pots could be heard as she jerked the frying pan out of the bottom cupboard and carelessly slammed it onto the stove. From the top of the stairs, Ran growled viciously and threatened her with, "Aya, you better not break anything this time!" to which she snarled back and Ken found himself with no excuse not to get back to his writing.

* * *

Review! 


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